DOCSLIB.ORG

Some Remarks on the Criticism of Kant's Theoretical Philosophy in the Vilnius Epistemological School

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Some Remarks on the Criticism of Kant's Theoretical Philosophy in the Vilnius Epistemological School Štúdie Edvardas Some Remarks on the Criticism Rimkus of Kant’s Theoretical Philosophy Vilnius Gediminas in the Vilnius Epistemological School Technical University Introduction Enlightenment philosophy liberated the mind primarily from the authority of the Christian Church. The crisis of political absolutism and the collapse of feudal social institutions were caused by the strengthened secular mind. In the 18th century, achievements in the mathematical sciences of nature were obvious and acknowledged throughout Europe. Bad times came for traditional speculative metaphysics. To various scientists and philosophers, it seemed much more rational to explore nature instead of forming empirically untestable statements about the world or metaphysical entities. While Enlightenment thinkers had an optimistic general view of the capacities of the human mind, along came Kant with a philosophy overstepping the boundaries of the rationalism and empiricism of that time. The philosophy of Kant chronologically, and in many aspects even ideologically, belonged to the same historical period of the Enlightenment but differed from it in some significant features. To the optimistic view of human reason and faith in rationality, Kant contrasts his own thinking about certain limits to the human capacity for knowledge. In his transcendental explorations emerges the concept of “thing-in-itself”, which essentially restricts the cognitive pretenses not only of speculative metaphysics, but also of the mathematical experimental science of nature. Kant also presents his conception of epistemological apriorism in which conceptual instruments of cognition (notions, theoretical principles) are treated only as human subjective forms of cognition. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which collaborated with the Kingdom of Poland for centuries and even joined with it in a dual state, was occupied by the Russian Empire at the turn of the 18th century. Vilnius University (named as Imperial University of Vilnius), the main institution of higher education in Lithuania, continued to function. At that time, the religiously orientated thinking and Enlightenment philosophy of Lithuania collided with the philosophy of Kant. The movement of Kantianism was not formed in this historical period in Lithuania, but there was one attempt to form a base of Kantian thought: Johann Heinrich Abicht (1762-1816), a professor of philosophy, arrived from Germany sTudia philoSophica kantiana 2/2017 3 Some Remarks on the Criticism of Kant’s Theoretical Philosophy in the Vilnius Epistemological School and propagated Kant’s ideas as well as his own philosophical views to students at Vilnius University, but his work had no significant influence either on the intellectual life of Vilnius or on Lithuanian culture. However, the philosophy of Kant reaped a body of criticism, among which the most notable was formulated by two Vilnius University philosophers: Janas Sniadeckis and Angelas Daugirdas. At that time they were the major epistemologists in Lithuania. The term “Vilnius epistemological school” is used by historians of philosophy.1 The concept is motivated by the significant common features in the epistemological positions of both thinkers, features that allow researchers to speak about a certain tradition of thinking and similar solutions to philosophical problems. At the end of 18th and the beginning of the 19th century, epistemology was something like a mixture of the sciences of anthropology, logic and psychology. The same can be seen in the epistemologies of Sniadeckis and Daugirdas. Both thinkers were protagonists of empiricism methodology, and acknowledged the Scottish Philosophy of Common Sense. However they understood and evaluated differently the potentialities of speculative metaphysics. Kantian theoretical philosophy, or various elements of it, are still a subject of exploration for thinkers from different movements of contemporary philosophy, which shows the continuing relevance of Kant’s thinking to our philosophical culture. The examination of historically formed interpretational and critical positions such as those of Sniadeckis and Daugirdas is a help in rethinking, developing and correcting existing interpretations and analysis of Kant’s philosophy or in creating new ones. How to assess the criticism of Kant’s theoretical philosophy presented by Sniadeckis and Daugirdas is the main problem motivating this research. The article presents a reconstruction of some of the main critical arguments directed by Sniadeckis and Daugirdas against a few components of Kant’s theoretical philosophy. The epistemological positions of both thinkers, as well as Kant’s relevant theories are interpreted and compared. The article analyses the viewpoint of Vilnius epistemologists with regard to the fundamental Kantian distinction between the form and matter of cognition, which grounds Kant’s epistemological apriorism. The treatment of the Kantian problem of the thing-in-itself by Vilnius philosophers, and Kant’s own view of the limits of cognition, are other objects of exploration. In some aspects, 1 See R. Plečkaitis: Vilniaus epistemologinės mokyklos teoretikas. In: Angelas Daugirdas, Raštai. (translated from Polish to Lithuanian by R. Plečkaitis), Vilnius: Margi raštai, 2006, D. Viliūnas: Apšvietos filosofijos slinktys. In: D. Viliūnas (ed.) Apšvietos ir romantizmo kryžkelėse: Filosofijos kryptys ir kontroversijos Lietuvoje XVIII a. Pabaigoje – pirmoje XIX a. pusėje. Lietuvos filosofijos istorija. Paminklai ir tyrinėjimai VI, Vilnius: Kultūros, filosofijos ir meno institutas, 2008, D. Viliūnas: Epistemologinė Vilniaus mokykla. In: Filosofija Vilniuje XIX amžiaus pirmoje pusėje, Vilnius: Lietuvos kultūros tyrimų institutas, 2014. sTudia philosophica kantiana 2/2017 4 Edvardas Rimkus the differences and the collision between transcendent speculative and Kantian transcendental metaphysics are also examined. The article seeks to give some preliminary evaluations of the critical and interpretational positions of the Vilnius thinkers. The main theses defended in the article are: the understanding of speculative metaphysics presented by Sniadeckis, and his view of the limits of empirical cognition, both are quite close to Kant’s positions on those issues; Daugirdas’ transcendent and Kant’s transcendental metaphysics are different paradigms of philosophical thinking, which explains their incompatibility; the misunderstanding and/or rejection of the crucial conceptions of Kant’s theoretical philosophy are the results of the essential difference between Sniadeckis and Daugirdas’ empiricism and Kant’s transcendental methodologies. Criticism of Kant’s theoretical philosophy by Janas Sniadeckis and Angelas Daugirdas Janas Sniadeckis (Polish: Jan Śniadecki, 1756-1830) was a professor at Vilnius University, a mathematician, geographer, astronomer, and philosopher. He worked at the university from 1806 to 1825, and from 1807 to 1815 occupied the position of university rector. Sniadeckis is a pioneer of such philosophical disciplines as “philosophy of science” and “philosophy of mathematics” in Lithuania. His general critical attitude towards traditional speculative metaphysics and his reliance upon the cognitive power of natural science and mathematics makes his philosophy close to positivism. Sniadeckis appreciated the Scottish Philosophy of Common Sense, and appealed to it against the philosophical movements of his time. Researchers describe his epistemology as empiricism supplemented by elements of rationalism.2 He was a vicious opponent of Kant; Sniadeckis’ position is one of the examples of the early empiricist critique of Kant’s theoretical philosophy3. Sniadeckis evaluated scholastic metaphysics negatively, and considered the mathematical experimental sciences of nature, which emerged in Europe during the historical Renaissance period, as the main form of cognition. He was the proponent of scientific metaphysics and the opponent of philosophical metaphysics. In his view, scientific metaphysics is a generalization and a reflection of the results of empirical sciences and mathematics – a philosophy based on the scientific exploration of reality or a philosophy of science. Philosophical metaphysics is the old speculative thinking that existed before the time of Francis Bacon. Sniadeckis depicts the latter mode of cognition and the results 2 D. Viliūnas: Epistemologinė Vilniaus mokykla, ibid., p. 110. 3 Possibly Sniadeckis was not self-sufficient or self-sustaining thinker. Some researchers state that Śniadeckis’ arguments are entirely borrowed from the French historian of philosophy J. M. Degeran- do. See for example: D. Viliūnas: Kanto kritika Lietuvoje XIX a. I pusėje: vertinimo ir kultūrinio konteksto problemos. In: Filosofija, Sociologija, Nr. 2, 2000, pp. 17-18. sTudia philoSophica kantiana 2/2017 5 Some Remarks on the Criticism of Kant’s Theoretical Philosophy in the Vilnius Epistemological School of its explorations as a world of fantasy and weirdness, in which only various opinions about things unachievable to the human mind are presented, but not the cognition of things.4 Sniadeckis attributed Kant’s transcendental philosophy to philosophical metaphysics and conceived it even as an attempt to reanimate the old scholastic metaphysics. He was an enemy not only of Kant’s philosophy interpreted in this way, but also hostile to the German idealists (Fichte5, Schelling, Hegel). Sniadeckis calls Kant’s transcendental philosophy “metaphysical mysticism”6 and sees it in the same light as these post Kantian
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Brief Overview of Literary Criticism Literary Critical Theory Is a Tool That
    A Brief Overview of Literary Criticism Woman Reading Book in a Landscape, Camille Corot Literary Critical Theory is a tool that helps you find meaning in stories, poems and plays. There are many different ways to interpret a novel or short story. When we read literature, we do so to learn more about: ● The human condition ● The experience of loss and death ● The structure of power in society and how it is implemented (including the issues that surround race and gender). ● The psychology of characters and individuals in general ● The sociology and history of cultures that produce specific pieces of literature Literary Theory helps us discover the things listed above in the books and stories we read. So how do you use theory to read a book? Before exploring, in brief, different theories, it is important to develop a reading strategy that will help you form ideas. You should keep a reading notebook and write down ideas and information as you read. Here is a checklist of things to notice: ● Title. How does it pertain to the story? Does it symbolize events or people in the story? ● Narration: Who is telling the story? How does the narrator approach the topic? ● Subject: What is the basic situation? What is happening to the characters and how are they reacting to events? ● Mood: What is the mood of the story, i.e. the emotional background? How is it expressed in the language and setting? ● Characters: What do the characters learn in the course of the story? What are their failings and how do they overcome them, or not? What is the main character’s desire? Is that desire ever fulfilled? How does the main character change? ● Character Interaction: How do the characters interact in the story? How do they communicate with each other? How do they handle conflict? ● Plot: What are the main events in the plot that lead the character to new insights, or to his or her failure? When you read a book, you can highlight the passages that strike you as significant.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rise and Fall of Self-Esteem: a Critical Review, Reconceptualization, and Recommendations
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Pepperdine Digital Commons Pepperdine University Pepperdine Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations 2015 The rise and fall of self-esteem: a critical review, reconceptualization, and recommendations Tamara Shawn Levy Eromo Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd Recommended Citation Eromo, Tamara Shawn Levy, "The rise and fall of self-esteem: a critical review, reconceptualization, and recommendations" (2015). Theses and Dissertations. 598. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/598 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected] , [email protected]. Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology THE RISE AND FALL OF SELF-ESTEEM: A CRITICAL REVIEW, RECONCEPTUALIZATION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS A clinical dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Psychology by Tamara Shawn Levy Eromo July, 2015 David A. Levy, Ph.D. – Dissertation Chairperson This clinical dissertation, written by Tamara Shawn Levy Eromo under the guidance of a Faculty Committee and approved by its members, has been submitted to and accepted by the Graduate Faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY Doctoral Committee: David A. Levy, Ph.D., Chairperson Dity Brunn, Psy.D. Anat Cohen, Ph.D. © Copyright by Tamara Shawn Levy Eromo (2015) All Rights Reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Decline of Literary Criticism
    University of Chicago Law School Chicago Unbound Journal Articles Faculty Scholarship 2008 The Decline of Literary Criticism Richard A. Posner Follow this and additional works at: https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/journal_articles Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Richard A. Posner, "The Decline of Literary Criticism," 32 Philosophy and Literature 385 (2008). This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Scholarship at Chicago Unbound. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal Articles by an authorized administrator of Chicago Unbound. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Critical Discussion THE DECLINE OF LITERARY CRITICISM by Richard A. Posner ónán McDonald, a lecturer in literature at the University of R Reading, has written a short, engaging book the theme of which is evident from the title: The Death of the Critic. Although there is plenty of both academic and journalistic writing about literature, less and less is well described by the term “literary criticism.” The literary critics of the first two-thirds or so of the twentieth century, now dead, including poets and other creative writers, such as T. S. Eliot, journalists such as Edmund Wilson, and academic literary critics, as distinct from literary scholars, such as F. R. Leavis in England and Cleanth Brooks in the United States, have so few successors that the very genre, if not yet dead, is moribund.1 McDonald deplores the decline of literary criticism and seeks to explain its causes. In place of literary criticism, McDonald (and many others, such as John Ellis) argue, we have postmodern literary theory, an animal of quite a different color from literary criticism.2 “Texts .
    [Show full text]
  • Poor Narcissus by Darlene Lancer, LMFT
    Poor Narcissus By Darlene Lancer, LMFT The gods sentenced him to a life without human love. He fell in love with his own reflection in pool of water and died hungering for its response. Like Narcissus, narcissists only love themselves as reflected in the eyes of others. It’s a common misconception that they love themselves. They actually dislike themselves immensely. Their inflated self-flattery, perfectionism, and arrogance are merely covers for the self-loathing they don’t admit–usually even to themselves. Instead, it’s projected outwards in their disdain for and criticism of others. They’re too afraid to look at themselves, because they believe that the truth would be devastating. Actually, they don’t have much of a Self at all. Emotionally, they’re dead inside and they hunger to be filled and validated by others. Sadly, they’re unable to appreciate the love they do get and alienate those who give it. Diagnosis All personality traits, including narcissism, range from mild to severe. Narcissism can be viewed on a continuum from mature to archaic. Mature individuals are able to idealize romantic partners, express their talents and skills, and accomplish their goals, while employing only neurotic defenses; a middle group has unstable boundaries and employ borderline defenses; and those highly sensitive to wounding, employ destructive, psychotic defenses and have unstable relationships (Solomon, 1989). Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), first categorized as a disorder by the American Psychiatric Association in 1987, occurs in 1 to 6.2 percent of the population; males exceed females at a ratio of 3:2 (Dhawan, 2010; McClean, 2007).
    [Show full text]
  • The Hegemony of Psychopathy
    THE HEGEMONY OF PSYCHOPATHY Before you start to read this book, take this moment to think about making a donation to punctum books, an independent non-profit press, @ https://punctumbooks.com/support/ If you’re reading the e-book, you can click on the image below to go directly to our donations site. Any amount, no matter the size, is appreciated and will help us to keep our ship of fools afloat. Contributions from dedicated readers will also help us to keep our commons open and to cultivate new work that can’t find a welcoming port elsewhere. Our adventure is not possible without your support. Vive la open-access. Fig. 1. Hieronymus Bosch, Ship of Fools (1490–1500) The Hegemony of Psychopathy Lajos Brons Brainstorm Books Santa Barbara, California The hegemony of psychopathy. Copyright © 2017 Lajos Brons. This work carries a Creative Commons by-nc-sa 4.0 International license, which means that you are free to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, and you may also remix, transform, and build upon the material, as long as you clearly attribute the work to the authors and editors (but not in a way that suggests the authors or punctum books endorses you and your work), you do not use this work for commercial gain in any form whatsoever, and that for any remixing and transformation, you distribute your rebuild under the same license. http://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ First published in 2017 by Brainstorm Books A division of punctum books, Earth, Milky Way www.punctumbooks.com isbn-13: 978-1-947447-16-5 (print) isbn-13: 978-1-947447-17-2 (epdf) lccn: 2017952337 Library of Congress Cataloging Data is available from the Library of Congress Book design: Kyra Curry, Kristen McCants, & Jessica Morales Cover design: Athena Tan Cover image: Chad Person, “Kraken,” 2012 Contents Preface • 13 1.
    [Show full text]
  • University of Birmingham Moving the Goalposts
    University of Birmingham Moving the goalposts Gillborn, David; Demack, Sean; Rollock, Nicola; Warmington, Paul DOI: 10.1002/berj.3297 Document Version Peer reviewed version Citation for published version (Harvard): Gillborn, D, Demack, S, Rollock, N & Warmington, P 2017, 'Moving the goalposts: education policy and 25 years of the Black/White achievement gap', British Educational Research Journal, vol. 43, no. 5, pp. 848-874. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3297 Link to publication on Research at Birmingham portal Publisher Rights Statement: Checked for eligibility: 08/06/2017 This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Gillborn, D., Demack, S., Rollock, N. and Warmington, P. (2017), Moving the goalposts: Education policy and 25 years of the Black/White achievement gap. Br Educ Res J. doi:10.1002/berj.3297, which has been published in final form at 10.1002/berj.3297. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. General rights Unless a licence is specified above, all rights (including copyright and moral rights) in this document are retained by the authors and/or the copyright holders. The express permission of the copyright holder must be obtained for any use of this material other than for purposes permitted by law. •Users may freely distribute the URL that is used to identify this publication. •Users may download and/or print one copy of the publication from the University of Birmingham research portal for the purpose of private study or non-commercial research. •User may use extracts from the document in line with the concept of ‘fair dealing’ under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (?) •Users may not further distribute the material nor use it for the purposes of commercial gain.
    [Show full text]
  • Anatomy of Criticism with a New Foreword by Harold Bloom ANATOMY of CRITICISM
    Anatomy of Criticism With a new foreword by Harold Bloom ANATOMY OF CRITICISM Four Essays Anatomy of Criticism FOUR ESSAYS With a Foreword by Harold Bloom NORTHROP FRYE PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS PRINCETON AND OXFORD Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 3 Market Place, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1SY Copyright © 1957, by Princeton University Press All Rights Reserved L.C. Card No. 56-8380 ISBN 0-691-06999-9 (paperback edn.) ISBN 0-691-06004-5 (hardcover edn.) Fifteenth printing, with a new Foreword, 2000 Publication of this book has been aided by a grant from the Council of the Humanities, Princeton University, and the Class of 1932 Lectureship. FIRST PRINCETON PAPERBACK Edition, 1971 Third printing, 1973 Tenth printing, 1990 The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R1997) {Permanence of Paper) www.pup.princeton.edu 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 Printed in the United States of America HELENAE UXORI Foreword NORTHROP FRYE IN RETROSPECT The publication of Northrop Frye's Notebooks troubled some of his old admirers, myself included. One unfortunate passage gave us Frye's affirmation that he alone, of all modern critics, possessed genius. I think of Kenneth Burke and of William Empson; were they less gifted than Frye? Or were George Wilson Knight or Ernst Robert Curtius less original and creative than the Canadian master? And yet I share Frye's sympathy for what our current "cultural" polemicists dismiss as the "romantic ideology of genius." In that supposed ideology, there is a transcendental realm, but we are alienated from it.
    [Show full text]
  • What Is Domestic Violence?
    What is Domestic Violence? Chris Moles Definitions: “A pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone.” “An abuse of power, manifested through selfishly motivated patterns of behavior intended to exercise or maintain control over one's partner." The Motivation - Power and Control The Power and Control Wheel was developed by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project in Duluth, MN, to show the physical, sexual, emotional, and financial tactics that batterers use to control their victims. Some Things to Consider Power and control are at the hub of the wheel because they are at the center of violent relationships. Domestic violence is not caused by one or both parties being drunk, high, stressed out, or angry. Abusers want power and control over their victims and they will use any means they can to do so. (James 4:1-4) Each spoke of the wheel represents a category of abusive tactics, ranging from emotional abuse to economic abuse to use of children. Although every violent relationship is different, they share many of these tactics in common. (Luke 6:43-45) The rim of the wheel represents physical and sexual violence. Although some abusive relationships do not include the reality of physical and sexual violence, the threat is always there for the victim and the fear that goes along with that threat can be a powerful motivator for the victim to stay in the relationship.
    [Show full text]
  • Workplace Bullying
    Workplace Bullying Defined: Workplace bullying refers to repeated, unreasonable actions of individuals (or a group) directed towards an employee (or a group of employees), which is intended to intimidate and creates a risk to the health and safety of the employee(s). Workplace bullying often involves an abuse or misuse of power. Bullying includes behavior that intimidates, degrades, offends, or humiliates a worker, often in front of others. Bullying behavior creates feelings of defenselessness in the target and undermines an individual’s right to dignity at work. Bullying is different from aggression. Whereas aggression may involve a single act, bullying involves repeated attacks against the target, creating an on-going pattern of behavior. “Tough” or “demanding” bosses are not necessarily bullies, as long as their primary motivation is to obtain the best performance by setting high expectations. Many bullying situations involve employees bullying their peers, rather than a supervisor bullying an employee. One study from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that a quarter of the 516 private and public companies studied reported some occurrence of bullying in the preceding year. Examples of bullying: Unwarranted or invalid criticism. Blame without factual justification. Being treated differently than the rest of your work group. Being sworn at. Exclusion or social isolation. Being shouted at or being humiliated. Being the target of practical jokes. Excessive monitoring. What is a workplace bully? On its surface, bullying is a simple concept. A strong person acts harshly towards someone weaker, and the bullying is blatant and habitual. It includes browbeating and threatening, verbal abuse and yelling.
    [Show full text]
  • Genung's Theory of Persuasion: a Literary Theory of Oratory of Late Nineteenth-Century America
    University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Faculty Publications Communication Department 2004 Genung’s Theory of Persuasion: A Literary Theory of Oratory of Late Nineteenth-Century America William D. Harpine University of South Carolina - Aiken, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/ aiken_communications_facpub Part of the Communication Commons Publication Info Postprint version. Published in Advances in the History of Rhetoric, Volume 7, 2004, pages 31-43. © Advances in the History of Rhetoric, 2004, Taylor and Francis. Harpine, W. D. (2004). Genung's theory of persuasion: A literary theory of oratory of late nineteenth-century America. Advances in the history of Rhetoric, 7(1), 31-43. This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Advances in the History of Rhetoric, 2004, © Taylor & Francis, available online at:http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/15362426.2004.10557224 DOI:10.1080/15362426.2004.10557224 This Article is brought to you by the Communication Department at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Genung‟s Theory of Persuasion 1 Revised 30 January 2004 Genung‟s Theory of Persuasion: A Literary Theory of Oratory of Late Nineteenth-Century America William D. Harpine School of Communication The University of Akron Akron OH 44325-1003 [email protected] 330-972-6219 An earlier version of this essay was presented to the American Society for the History of Rhetoric Interest Group at the Southern States Communication Association Convention, 6 April 2002.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Surveillance, Governmentality and Moving the Goalposts: the Influence of Ofsted on the Work of Schools in a Post-Panoptic Era
    Surveillance, governmentality and moving the goalposts: the influence of Ofsted on the work of schools in a post-panoptic era. Abstract This paper asks the question: to what extent do inspection regimes, particularly Ofsted, influence the work of a school, and how might that influence be conceptualised? It draws on an ESRC funded study of ‘policy enactments in secondary schools’ which was based on case-study work in four ‘ordinary’ schools. Here the data set is re-examined to understand the extent to which Ofsted had an ongoing influence on the work of the leadership, management and teachers in these schools. We undertook a process of secondary analysis of the data from the project and found that the influence of the inspection agenda was strong in the schools, policy decisions were often being made to conform to Ofsted’s expectations and the influence on leadership and management was clearly apparent. In resisting this agenda we also found that schools to some extent performed ‘the good school’ for inspections. Finally we relate this empirical evidence to conceptions of governmentality and post-panopticism to shed new light on their theoretical relevance to contemporary inspection regimes. 1 Surveillance, governmentality and moving the goal-posts: the influence of Ofsted on the work of schools in a post-panoptic era. Introduction This paper asks the question: to what extent do inspection regimes, particularly Ofsted, influence the work of a school, and how might that influence be conceptualised? It draws on an ESRC funded study of ‘policy enactments in secondary schools’ (RES- 062-23-1484), which was based on case-study work in four ‘ordinary’ schools.
    [Show full text]
  • Tackling Bullying at Work
    Organising for Health & Safety Tackling bullying at work A UNISON guide for safety reps Bullying at work guidelines 2 Contents Introduction 4 What is workplace bullying? 4 Bullying or harassment - is there a difference? 4 Recognising bullying 5 Examples of bullying behaviour 5 The cost of bullying 9 Workplace bullying and the law 10 The role of risk assessment 12 Negotiating a policy on bullying 14 Procedure for complaints 15 Representing a bullied member and an alleged bully when both are UNISON members 15 Access to counselling 15 Rehabilitation 15 Monitor and review 16 Checklist for safety representatives 16 Safety representatives’ rights 17 Advising bullied members 17 What branches can do 18 Appendix A - Draft branch bullying survey 19 Further information 22 3 Bullying at work guidelines Introduction What is workplace bullying? UNISON believes that everyone should be treated There is no simple definition of bullying because with dignity and respect at work. Bullying is totally it can take many different forms. It occurs in a unacceptable behaviour as it denies staff this right. variety of situations and crosses gender, race, Bullying at work is a major workplace problem that age and involve one or a number of individuals. makes the daily working lives of many workers However, UNISON has defined workplace bullying intolerable. Workplace bullying can lead to ill-health as persistent offensive, intimidating, humiliating and work-related stress, it affects morale and is behaviour, which attempts to undermine an the cause of untold misery to workers. individual or group of employees. This is bad for the workforce and bad for the Bullying is generally carried out face-to-face organisation, because workers affected by bullying but can also occur in writing by telephone, text may take long periods of sick leave or leave the messaging, email and on social media.
    [Show full text]